Sectional heat exchangers are already well known in the prior art, and one example of such is found in my U.S. Pat. No. 3,710,853. In these sectional heat exchangers, there are a plurality of units which are supported in a frame, and the concern and the problem is to snugly secure the units in a minimum of space but yet in a most secure manner and thereby avoid unnecessary vibration and possible consequent damage and noise and the like due to an unnecessary amount of clearance between the units. The prior art has utilized structural members extending along the sides of the heat exchanger units which are disposed in a frame to form the sectionalized heat exchanger. For example, see my U.S. Pat. No. 1,813,221 and U.S. Pat. No. 3,165,151.
Therefore, in the prior art sectional heat exchangers, there is a space or clearance between the units forming the exchanger and which are disposed in a frame. Where these heat exchangers are used in insulations creating vibrations, such as with an engine of perhaps two or three thousand horse power size, the exchanger itself is subjected to harmful vibrations and is therefore subject to failure. That is, where a large heat exchanger of the type involved in this invention is subjected to vibrations, the metal in the heat exchanger is subject to fatigue and fracture. Accordingly, it is a primary objective and advantage of this invention to improve upon the sectional heat exchangers of the prior art, such as those mentioned above.
Specifically, it is an object of this invention to provide a sectional heat exchanger wherein a plurality of units are mounted and fitted within an exchanger frame and the units are secured therein in a manner and by means which avoids vibration of the individual units and thus the reliability and life of the exchanger units is increased.
More specifically, it is an object and advantage of this invention to provide a sectional heat exchanger wherein the individual units can be slid or otherwise moved into the frame in their usual side-by-side relationship, and the assembly of the units within the frame, and the resulting strength of the entire exchanger, is an improvement over the exchangers of the prior art, and the assembly can be readily and easily accomplished and it does not require complicated and extensive fastening members or the like in order to accomplish the end result of overcoming or at least minimizing the vibration of the units, as mentioned above.
Still further, the present invention provides a heat exchanger with a plurality of units disposed within a frame and wherein the tolerances or spacings of the frame to the units and the units to each other is not extremely critical but, nevertheless, the units are fully secured and snugly disposed within the frame to avoid detrimental vibration and consequent failure of the units.